Officials Might Delay Ag Reserve Issue

A majority of county commissioners say they would vote to delay a referendum on farmland preservation until November, reversing a decision they made two weeks ago.

County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said he will seek the delay at today's weekly board meeting. He said the date set by the board two weeks ago - March - is too soon and would guarantee the failure of the $140 million bond issue. The money from the bond issue would be used to purchase the development rights to about 13,500 acres of farmland in the Agricultural Reserve west of Boynton Beach and Delray Beach.

"The public needs more time to understand this issue," Aaronson said. "I don't believe the public is that well-informed about it, and I think it's our job to make sure they are."

No formal vote was taken on Nov. 22, when the commission set March as the date, but Aaronson and Commissioner Karen Marcus both advocated a later date. At the time, lobbyists for farm landowners as well as other community leaders pushed for an early decision, so the board by consensus picked March.

Since then, though, the referendum's supporters rose up and threatened to withdraw their backing if the date was not changed.

"I, for one, cannot sign on for a lost cause," wrote Al Miller, chairman of a residents' group backing the referendum, in a memo to commissioners. "The $140 million will be hard enough to sell, so don't make it an impossible task by having a referendum in March of 1995."

Five other commissioners said on Monday they would support Aaronson. Most had no strong preference for either date.

"I don't care. Whatever makes everybody warm and fuzzy," Commissioner Mary McCarty said. "We lose a year. But if people would feel more comfortable, then I'll go along with it."

"I want people to have the greatest opportunity to understand it," Commissioner Warren Newell said. "If the board is moving towards [changing the date), then I would support it."

The original reason for holding the referendum in the spring was to piggyback the issue on municipal elections scheduled for March 14. That would save the county money [a special election costs about $200,000, and nothing else is scheduled for the November ballot), and it would ensure a higher voter turnout.

Commissioner Carol Roberts said she thinks those are strong reasons. She was the only commissioner on Monday who said she would not support Aaronson's proposal.